Three lentils soup with coconut cream

Once fall arrives soup season begins in my kitchen. I make a soup in a large le Creuset pot and then store it in 2-3 mason jars in the fridge so it’s ready to warm up or play with as I wish. Lentil soups are regulars here and I usually mix 2-3 types of lentils together to make it more interesting.

Soup for me is second nature and I don ‘t need a recipe to make it. Soup base is often a sauté of small-diced onion, garlic, carrots and celery (called sofrito or mirpoix) and from there I build up the soup I want to make: beans, legumes, grains, vegetables, pasta etc. Measurements are least important when making soup and in time you just develop a feel for it. Once you are comfortable with the process you don’t need to follow any recipe, you just make your own.

I have been making lentil soups for eternity and have friends (hi Anne) who still make a lentil soup recipe I taught in a class a hundred years ago before I became a lawyer. It’s also the soup I make when sending a get well food gift to friends (we miss Marilyn).

This time I made a large pot of soup that filled three jars and decided to vary things up a bit by heating one of the jars, pureéing it in a blender and adding a little coconut cream to it. I topped the soup with creme fraiche and dukkah that I often have in the freezer, mixed with a little olive oil and parsley.

The recipe below is not as large, but it may leave you the option of storing one jar in the fridge and changing it up when you serve it.

The second jar of soup: I will probably blend it a little bit with an immersion blender (not much, just to thicken) and then add spinach or chopped kale.

The third jar: I will add a few canned tomatoes and a small handful of tiny pasta: orzo, shells or small tubes or even a handful of cooked rice.

Directions:

Sort lentils if needed, rinse and combine them in a bowl. Cover with water and let soak for 20-30 minutes.

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion and cook until softened.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the carrot and celery and stir until softened.

Add the lentils and stir everything together.

Add the stock and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer the soup partially covered until the lentils are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Check the soup for liquid level and add more stock as necessary to keep the soup from getting too thick.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

While soup is cooking combine the dukkah with the parsley and olive oil and let sit so the flavours combine.

Once the soup is cooked through puree it (I leave some texture) with an immersion blender or in a blender.

Add the coconut cream from the can and heat the soup to melt the cream.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To serve ladle the soup into bowls, spoon a line of dukkah mixture on top and drizzle with creme fraiche or cashew cream.

If you like the cheese stick you see in the image: grate some parmesan, arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet in a long stick form and bake at 375 for 15 minutes or so until the cheese melts and set.